Titanic
by MasterShaper
Summary: A historian is searching a ship's remains for a precious jewel. He instead hears the tale of two people who met on the unsinkable Titanic. Star Wars version of Titanic. AU.
1. Ghosts of The Past

**Ghosts Of The Past**

A remote-controlled, robotic submersible slowly propelled itself forward, through the dark waters of the Calamarian ocean. It was moving forward at less than twenty knots, at a depth of 4101 meters, tiny repulsorlifts whining with the strain. Two miniscule infrared lamps illuminated its path, invisible to the vision of most creatures, save for the Great Arctic Skra'akans.

In the sub's control room, hovering twenty meters above the calm surface of Mon Calamari's North Baber Ocean, a male human sweated over the VR-type controls that enabled him to stay high-and-dry while his submarine robot moved on the seabed, two-and-a-half miles beneath him. His assistants watched computer screens that played video recordings that came from the robo-sub's external cameras.

Out of the blue, a dark, looming shape appeared within the vision fields of the submersible. The submersible turned on its lights - a great risk to its safety, because Mon Calamari's deep-sea denizens were attracted to any light in their domain - and revealed the shape to be the bow of an ocean liner, with a crow's nest that had fallen over, and nearly-transparent seaweed that grew all over the poop deck, like a forest of glass.

The people in the control room relaxed. This time they had found the ship, and the cameras had not been attacked – yet. They watched as their boss slowly piloted the robo-sub towards what had been the officer's quarters on the liner, where no plant life grew. The submersible landed on the quarters' roof, and unfolded its magnetic grasping claws. It was moved slowly towards the rear of the ship, where a gaping hole was situated.

The people always used this hole to enter the ship's interior, where they would begin their searching.

For a treasure that made all other treasures seem worthless. The Ankarres Sapphire, which had disappeared when the ship – the supposedly 'unsinkable' _Titanic_ – had sank to the ocean's depths, eighty four years ago.

So far, they had found several datapads, which were currently being painstakingly restored, to gather more information on the sinking of the _Titanic_. They had also found several engineering schematics that were drawn on transparalon. An odd writing material, but strong enough to last for almost a century under the waves - all the better for them. Other than that, nothing, not counting several personal trinkets – a rusted blaster, wads of credit bills, the works - that they found in the first class lounges.

An alarm clock shattered the peace in the control room, snapping everyone's concentration. The boss threw his VR control set aside in frustration.

"Those bantha poodoo have to call when we're working, don't they?" he snarled, striding over to the wall mounted communications panel. He had promised an interview with the reporters of the Calamari Gazette, and he was never one to break his promises.

The panel came to life, and a smiling H'nemthe female spoke up, "Hello, Dr. Lovett. It's time…"

"For your sithspawn interview," he growled, "Hurry the frell up, or I'm gonna blow a cyberfuze!"

"Patience, doctor…"


	2. Secrets of The Past

**Secrets of The Past**

It was a sunny afternoon on Coruscant. In a middle-class home, a young lady named Jaina was bathing her pet whisperkit, while her grandmother Leia sat on the balcony, indulging in pottery. The newsdisc played for a non-existent audience on the kitchen table.

Just a regular family during an afternoon on Coruscant.

The old woman making clay pots on the balcony, who was also the young lady's grandmother, listened with one ear to the newsdisc while she shaped clayware using a potter's wheel. But the droning of the newsreader suddenly took on an interesting note, and her head snapped upwards from her work, to listen.

"Here we are, live at the Baber's Ocean on Mon Calamari, where Professor 'Grave Robber' Lovett has agreed to provide us information regarding artifacts salvaged from the wreck of the Titanic, which sank eighty-four years ago.The famous treasure hunter has been on-site for two weeks now, and is searching for the long lost Ankarres Sapphire" read the H'nemthe news anchor.

"Jaina, turn that up, will you?" asked Leia, as Jaina walked into the kitchen with a clean-but-miffed whisperkit in her arms. Leia's hearing might have been acute, but she didn't want to miss anything.

"Sure thing, grandma," replied Jaina, adjusting the volume on the newsdisc until the news anchor's speech changed from a barely audible monologue to a loud, clear voice.

"… have managed to salvage artifacts such as credit chips, vanity items, and what not," a stocky human male was saying to the holo-recorder, "We also managed to recover data from this artist's datapad, which contained numerous drawings such as this."

The picture which flashed up on the newsdisc made Leia gasp with shock and made tears come to her eyes. The picture was a drawing of a woman, lying on a couch, naked except for a large jewel on a chain around her neck.

Seeing the picture drowned out the noises around her as she remembered. Remembered the night when it had happened, eighty-four years ago…

As she snapped back into reality, she heard the man say, "… search for the Ankarres Sapphire will be aided by the identification of the woman in this drawing. As you can see, she's wearing it."

Leia called for Jaina, shaking. She needed to get to Mon Calamari, to the salvage site. They could help her get rid of a burden that she had carried. Since the night the _Titanic_ sank.

xxx

On the _Searcher_, the search vessel that Professor Lovett was using for his salvage tasks, a VERY infuriated Professor Lovett was stomping towards the communications room. Some bantha-brained moron had decided that she knew about the sapphire, and wanted to speak to him.

As he strode into the room, smoke practically coming out of his ears, he saw an ANCIENT human woman on the comms holoscreen. He growled, "What do you want?"

"I was wondering if you had found _Hati Laut Biru_ yet?" asked the woman with a level voice.

Lovett's eyebrows flew upwards. _Hati Laut Biru_ was the original name of the Ankarres Sapphire, the name which Defel jewel craftsmen had given it. He asked warily, "You've got my attention, madam. What information do you have?"

The woman smiled, "Nothing much. But I do know that the woman in your drawing is me."

xxx

A sub-orbital transport shuttle flew towards the _Searcher_, where an anxious Professor Lovett and his crew were awaiting the arrival of a potentially useful guest. A guest who claimed to be the mysterious woman with the Ankarres Sapphire around her neck, who was depicted in one of the drawings that they had recovered from an artist's datapad.

The shuttle landed on the open shuttle deck of the _Searcher_, which was almost half-a-kilometer long and nearly equally as wide. The shuttle's door opened, and a Defel technician jumped out. The nearly invisible technician extended the passenger ramp, and an old lady exited the shuttle in a repulsor chair. A young woman carrying a whisperkit, presumably a relative of the ancient one, followed shortly after, guiding a repulsor sled with a mountain of luggage on it.

"Doesn't exactly travel light, does she?" muttered Lovett to his right hand man Kino, a male Quarren, who was watching as two of his one of his deckhands, a female Ishi Tib, took over the control of the ladies' luggage repulsor sled.

The old lady and her relative approached him as the shuttle took off, and she smiled at him, "Nice to meet you, Professor Lovett."

"Nice to meet you too, Madam Lars," replied Lovett gruffly. He had done some research about Leia Lars' background, and had discovered (to his alarm) that she had once been a particularly successful actress. If she tried to fool him… She'd better know how to swim. "Follow Kino to your rooms," he grunted, walking off.

Leia turned to Jaina as they followed a Quarren to their rooms, "Not a happy camper, is he?"

xxx

As she unpacked her luggage in her room, Lovett and Kino came to her cabin with the artist's datapad. He had brought it along so that he could get down to questioning her immediately. Kino was also carrying some of the vanity items that had been salvaged. Leia was sitting in a corner stroking her whisperkit, while her granddaughter Jaina was sleeping due to travel-lag.

"How's your accommodation, Leia?" asked Kino, always the hospitable host.

"It's lovely, thank you," replied Leia with a smile, "I hope you don't mind my pictures."

Kino and Lovett looked at the table in the corner, and saw numerous holocubes arranged there. Holos of an obviously younger Leia indulging in big-game hunting, diving and other thrill-seeking activities were all laid out, in neat rows.

"Never mind your mementos," said Lovett, staring at her, "Would you consent to a memory dump?"

Memory dumps were the extraction of memories from living people. It was impossible to lie when a memory dump was performed.

"Certainly," came her unexpected reply. Leia smiled at Lovett's poorly-concealed look of shock, "You thought I was poodooing you? I don't blame you. Go ahead with the dump."

Lovett called for a technician to bring the memory dump apparatus down to the cabin. Minutes later, a Wookie technician entered the cabin, wheeling the apparatus in with him.

Lovett looked at Leia as the Wookie technician attached the probes to her head, and asked, "Anything to say?"

Leia's face turned sad, and she looked at Lovett, her eyes unsettling him with their sadness, "_Titanic_ was called the ship of dreams. And it was. It really was."

The technician pulled a switch, and the memory dump began.


	3. The Ship of Dreams

**The Ship of Dreams**

_84 Years Ago_

A harbor was bustling and overcrowded with beings of all races and species. They were all there that day to see for themselves the newest marvel of engineering and technology in the ocean liner industry. They were there, to witness the start of the Calamari Star Line's newest luxury ship's maiden voyage. Thousands of people were pressed up against the transparisteel barriers between the harbor and the ship, looking at it in awe.

The Titanic gleamed in its harbor berth, being the gigantic ocean liner that would soon carry 4000 passengers to Foamwander City, from the relatively backward Reef Home City.

Titanic was indeed an awesome sight to behold. From bowsprit to stern she measured 1.2 kilometers, and from her submerged keel to the top of her two thermal exhaust funnels she stood 800 meters in height. As for width, Titanic was almost 600 meters wide. Her hull was mostly a navy blue, with a band of white at the top section. Sunlight reflected off a thousand windows, and the Calamari Star Line's logo was clearly emblazoned on both of her thermal exhaust funnels.

Thirty collapsible gangways connected Titanic's massive side with the harbor below, where people waited to board the ship of dreams. The ship that would take them to Foamwander, far away from poverty and unemployment that they had experienced in Reef Home.

On the harbor, three repulsor cars nosed their way through the crowds. The leading car stopped, and the driver, a Sullustan named Sien, rushed to open the passenger's door.

As he opened the door, an elegant, manicured hand was extended out of the car. Taking the hand, he helped a seventeen-year-old Leia Skywalker out of the car.

Leia looked up at the Titanic while Sien helped her mother, Padme Skywalker, out of the car. Her fiancé Bail Organa, her elder brother cum chaperone Luke Skywalker, and their two Twi'lek maids (Boltu'na and Skollu'na) had already exited the second car. Luke was currently directing a human officer on where in the Titanic their luggage was to be sent. Bail joined her to look at the ship, and he put an arm around her waist.

Masking her distaste for him behind a false smile, she said, "I don't see what the fuss is all about."

Taken aback by her lie, he asked, "What makes you say so?"

"It doesn't look any larger than the Teutonic," she replied, enjoying the look of disbelief on Bail's face. He had brought her mother, Luke and her to Reef Home on holiday via the Teutonic, as a sign of his love for her. Upon their arrival in Foamwander, they would be married in the Foamwander Force Chapel, by Priest Ephant Mon.

A simple fact that she loathed as much as Jawas loved money.

"Nonsense, Leia my sweet pea," he said, as he walked her towards the First Class gangways, "It's at least three hundred meters longer than the Teutonic. And far more luxurious."

By now, Padme, Boltu'na and Skollu'na had caught up with them (Leia and Bail). Padme smiled at Bail, "So this is the ship that is said to be unsinkable."

"Yes it is unsinkable," said Bail, despite the fact that he lacked any knowledge whatsoever regarding the architecture of ocean liners, "The Force itself could not sink _this_ ship. Where's Luke?"

"Oh, he's making sure those droid equipment loaders get our luggage on properly," replied Padme, "He'll be meeting us onboard, later today."

They finally arrived at the First Class gangway, where the Klatooinian officer stationed there checked their tickets, and they boarded the Titanic, amidst the noise and hustle of the people at the dock.

xxx

In a cigarra smoke-filled pub on the harbor, four people-a human, a Wookie and two Devaronians-were concentrating on a game of sabacc. In the betting pot were an almost pitiful amount of credits, and two Third Class tickets for the Titanic.

One of the Devaronians, Labria, bared his teeth at his partner. He cursed in Devish, "You stupid moron! I can't believe you bet our tickets out of this squalid hole!"

One of the humans, a twenty-year old man named Han Solo, spoke up, "So this is it. The last hand. Show cards."

Labria cursed and threw his cards on the table. So did his partner. Nothing they had was a winning hand. Han's Wookie friend Chewbacca showed his cards-no good either. The three aliens looked at Han, who still hadn't revealed his hand.

"Okay, now's the moment of truth," said Han, turning to Chewbacca, "I'm sorry Chewie."

Chewbacca roared at him for being an idiot that lost all their credits and was about to start clawing at him when Han continued.

"… I'm sorry that you won't be left behind, you big fur ball! Idiot's Array, boys!" Han said, showing his hand. It was indeed a perfect Idiot's Array, beating even Pure Sabacc, "I'm going to Foamwander!"

As Han and Chewie were emptying the contents off the betting pot into a bag, the Devaronian Labria suddenly stood up and grabbed Han's collar. Before he or Chewie could do anything, Labria gave his friend, the other Devaronian, a bone-breaking punch to the jaw. The Devaronian collapsed like a boneless thing.

Han and Chewie embraced each other, and Han shouted for the whole pub to hear, "I'm going to Foamwander!"

"No you're not, sonny!" yelled the bartender, a male Rek named Clino, "Titanic goes to Foamwander, in five minutes! Heh heh heh!"

Glancing at the chronometer above Clino's head, Han and Chewie saw that the Rek bartender was right; they only had five minutes left to get onboard.

"Come on, Chewie!" cried Han, and they raced out of the pub.

Labria watched them leave, enviously. Turning to his recovering friend, he gave him a vicious kick.

xxx

In the Titanic's bridge, Ship Captain Ooryl Qrygg, a male Gand who had once flown with Rogue Squadron, stood watching the harbor's colossal blast doors open, exactly on schedule. The opened durasteel doors revealed the blue ocean outside Reef Home City. His First Officer Navik, a male Rodian, came up to him.

"Ak-Buz says the reactors are primed, sir," said Navik.

Qrygg nodded, still looking at the ocean landscape. He said, "All right Mister Navik. Get her moving."

After saluting Captain Qrygg, Navik went over to the ship's motion control lever. The lever was mounted in a housing that had several markings with different labels, such as 'FORWARD', 'REVERSE', 'STOP', 'FULL AHEAD', and 'FULL ASTERN'. He moved the lever to the marking labeled 'FORWARD', and the command was sent down to the engineering room.

xxx

In the engineering room, Head Engineer Ak-Buz leisurely sipped a cup of caf, watching the command lever in front of him. The lever currently was at 'STOP', but it suddenly moved to 'FORWARD', with a alerting TING! noise.

Smiling his gruff Weequay smile, he shouted to his team of seven engineers, "START THOSE PROPELLERS!"

With acknowledging sounds, his engineers moved about, starting the Titanic's three massive propellers. Ak-Buz himself moved down to the propeller speed regulation wheel, which hadn't been turned since the Titanic's voyage to the harbor from the construction docks. Grabbing the handle welded to the wheel, he turned it slowly, watching the needle on the propeller speed dial move gradually away from zero. The other engineers pulled levers and switches, aligning the ship's propellers, as well as starting the engines.

xxx

In the engine room, a team of droid supervisors observed the Titanic's single plasma turbine engine and two reciprocating engines start moving. The Titanic had three propellers: one large, quadruple-bladed propeller powered by a plasma turbine reactor and two small, triple-bladed propellers that were connected to the ships main plasma reactor, but powered by a reciprocating engine each.

The plasma turbine reactor started rotating its attached propeller screw at a high speed, firing up the main propeller while the numerous pistons of the two reciprocating engines started pumping up-and-down by means of air pressure, moving the smaller, secondary propellers up to speed.

The droid supervisors duly noted that everything was happening as was normal.

xxx

Under the harbor's waterline, the Titanic's three durasteel propellers slowly started to rotate, generating a mass of bubbles around them. Just as Han Solo and Chewbacca boarded the Titanic, the propellers attained their instructed speed.

The harbor's tractor beams that held the Titanic in place were deactivated, and the ship's repulsorlifts kicked in, enabling Titanic to float with a mere one-quarter of her bulk underwater. For an ocean liner weighing almost a hundred thousand tons, usually the ship would have nearly half of its bulk submerged. The Titanic, on the other hand, had fifty repulsorlifts built into its keel, enabling her to have seventy five percent of her bulk above the waterline, thus allowing her to use shallow-bottomed harbors.

The Titanic moved majestically out of Reef Home City, to the cheers of the many observers at the harbor.


	4. Moving Full Ahead

**Moving Full Ahead**

Jin Simma directed his skeletal Givin frown at Jace Ismay, the Calamari Star Line's managing director, who was sitting behind his desk. Ismay, smiling his squid-like, Quarren smile, started the conversation.

"How can I help you, Doctor Simma?" asked Ismay, his facial tentacles quivering slightly.

"I would like to talk about several modifications to my initial designs. Numerous modifications that were approved to be built by _you_. Modifications that greatly increase the probability for accidents and loss of life to occur," replied Simma, concealing his frustration with the sentient cephalopod sitting opposite him.

Simma had been elected from the Calamari Star Line's stable of Naval Architects to design and supervise the construction of the Titanic. But as the construction neared completion, Simma had noticed that several things didn't look right. So he had re-checked the schematics of the Titanic, and found that several glaring modifications had been imposed upon his original design. He had boarded the ship to observe her performance, and to suggest any changes that could be made for future improvements.

Ismay gave him a dismissive wave of his hand, "No worries, Doctor. The modifications were designed and approved by Izal Walz." Izal Walz was one the Verpine architects employed by the Calamari Star Line.

"WHAT?! You allowed Izal to modify a ship's design?" asked Simma, flabbergasted, "You know as well as I do that Izal, or any other Verpine out there, would prefer to be a starship architect."

"True, but his modifications to your original design were VERY economical," replied Ismay, smugly putting emphasis on the word 'very'.

"Economical to the Sith! Your 'economical' modifications will one day resulting the sinking of Titanic!" spat Simma.

Ismay's eyes widened in horror, "What do you mean by that?"

Simma leaned back in his chair, enjoying the look of horror on Ismay's face, "For starters, you allowed Titanic to be fitted with a rudder that was smaller and less efficient than the type I had initially planned into her design."

"What's the problem with that? The ship will still be able to turn," said Ismay.

"Yes, she can still turn," admitted Simma, "But do you recall the time we took to leave Reef Home?"

Ismay thought for a moment, "Yes. We were ten minutes behind schedule."

"Ah. Aha. That's the problem right there. The reason why it took us ten minutes more than expected to leave Reef Home was the inferior-quality rudder you had installed," declared Simma, somewhat triumphantly.

"What do you mean by that? Surely the more economical rudder is not entirely to blame," said Ismay, now nervously fingering a pen.

"Yes indeed, the rudder is the problem. For a ship of Titanic's tonnage and physical makeup, the rudder is horribly insufficient. Titanic's turning radius has increased from a mere fifty meters to a dangerous three hundred meters," said Simma, glaring at Ismay, "If we needed to turn to evade an obstacle such as an iceberg, at our current speed, we'd be dead."

"Okay. Are there any other problems?" asked Ismay.

"Indeed. Note that all of the problems I'm about to mention are caused by your 'economical' modifications," said Simma, tapping his fingers on the desk. The sound was like ceramic being hit repeatedly, "The main propeller, lateral thrusters, and lifeboat chains, coupled with the inefficient rudder you had installed are a recipe of doom."

"How are they a 'recipe of doom'? And quit bugging me about the rudder."

"Well, the main propeller is incapable of reversing its turn, due to the engine that you had installed. Due to this, Titanic's reversing abilities have been reduced by fifty percent. The lateral thrusters that Izal had incorporated into his modifications are also incapable of withstanding great amounts of stress. They shorted out as we used them at Reef Home, to help the tiny rudder in turning her," said Simma, now sounding mildly angry, "Add the lifeboats which are not chained to the deck and you'll get an incident whereby the lifeboats will be released by their magnetic clamps before the lowering tractor beams are locked on."

"Why is having no chained lifeboats a hazard?" asked Ismay, puzzled.

"If they're not chained to the deck, when the magnetic clamps release them, they'll be dropped off the side of the ship before the tractor beams lock on. Kindly take note that half of our lifeboats are positioned on the edge of the open boat deck."

"Why weren't the thrusters fixed?" asked Ismay, full of bureaucratic anger.

"We tried to fix them, but we discovered that the thrusters had been of a brand that was terribly low in terms of quality. The entire thruster units had blown into a molten slag."

"Sithspawn!" cursed Ismay, "Now we'll have to buy new thrusters!"

"See you around, Ismay," said Simma, standing up, "I'll be going to talk with Ak-Buz in engineering."

"It's Mister Ismay to you, Simma! I don't care if your ancestor created Ju Simma's theorem, you still work for me, you hear?" said Ismay sharply.

But Simma had already left his office.

xxx

On the bridge, Captain Ooryl Qrygg was watching as Titanic moved forward at a steady speed of 18 knots, or approximately 28.8 nautical kilometers per hour, if you wanted to be metric about it.

Ooryl barely noticed as Ismay entered the bridge, and came up to him. He noticed, however, that Ismay was holding a sheet of plastinate that was probably an engineering report.

Ismay cleared his throat, "Captain?"

Ooryl sighed, and turned to Ismay, "Yes?"

"I read from this report here," said Ismay, waving the report in front of Ooryl's large eyes, "That you've not fully powered up the secondary plasma reactor and reciprocating engines yet."

"Ooryl is reluctant to tax the engines so much before they've been broken in properly. Plus, this time of year is iceberg season," replied Ooryl.

"Why not do so? If we move at full speed ahead, we'll arrive at Foamwander a full day ahead of schedule!" said Ismay, excitedly, "We'll have headlines in every news channel in the galaxy!"

"Ooryl still thinks that current speed is fine to be safe."

"And weren't you planning to retire after this voyage?" said Ismay slyly, "Why not retire with a bang, eh?"

Ooryl was silent, pondering Ismay's words. He had been part of Rogue Squadron for a few years, and had then joined the Calamari Star Line as a captain of luxury liners, be they for space or oceanic travel. He had been a captain for thirty five standard years, and was planning the make Titanic's maiden voyage his retirement voyage.

"Thank you, Mister Ismay," said Ooryl, as Ismay left the bridge.

Turning to look at Second Officer Cintan, a tall Nautolan, Ooryl decided.

"Take her to full ahead, Mister Cintan."

xxx

In engineering, Ak-Buz was relaxing by playing sabacc with his seven engineers. Doctor Simma had just left, after checking on them and making sure everything was shipshape. The engineers liked Simma, for he was the only member of the 'High Ups' that actually cared for their personal well being.

The command lever then sounded an alert, as it moved to the label 'FULL AHEAD'.

Ak-Buz was puzzled, given that this time of the Calamarian year was iceberg season, but gave his instructions nonetheless, "All right boys, fire them up! We're going full ahead!"

He went over to the engine control console, and started up the last secondary plasma reactor and reciprocating engines. As he did so, one of his engineers, an Arcona named Lensi, turned the propeller speed wheel, and watched as the speed dial's needle moved away from the initial speed they had been using, bordering on the danger zone.

xxx

Under the ship, the massive propellers attained their maximum safe speed, creating a churning trail of bubbles as they pushed the Titanic forward at full ahead, or 25 knots. The ship rushed into the night, towards an iceberg-filled sea.


	5. Settling In

**Settling In**

Han and Chewie walked in one of the crowded Third Class corridors towards cabin 56E, which, according to their tickets, was to be their home for the next seven days. The corridors were crammed with hundreds of people, and the air was stuffy as well as laced with numerous odors.

"50E… 52E… 54E… 56E! Here we are, Chewie!" announced Han, entering cabin 56E, Chewie in tow.

Both of them marveled at the luxury of their cabin. Despite being a _Third Class_ cabin, there were only two beds-actual beds, not bunks-which looked comfortable, a Wookie-sized writing table, a large closet, and an attached refresher. Most ships had third class cabins that crammed people together like kielers in a tin, minus the closet, refresher, and table. The Titanic's Third Class cabin was a far cry from the deplorable cabins Han and Chewie had seen many times before, during their experiences of stowing away in unoccupied cabins.

Chewie growled that they should unpack, snapping Han out of his daze.

xxx

Leia was watching Boltu'na unpack her valuable possessions from the luggage case. It was not that she didn't trust the Twi'lek maid; Boltu'na was merely very clumsy. She watched as Boltu'na handled a moss painting that looked like a humanoid's fecal matter splattered on canvas, and another that looked like a puddle of unsavory greenish matter.

Bail walked over and scrutinized the painting, "Terrible things you insist on bringing along, darling."

"Ma'am, these paintings are quite grotesque," agreed Boltu'na, "No disrespect intended, ma'am."

"She's right, for once," said Bail, "These things are trash, nothing more."

"I believe in making purchases that could be valuable in the future," retorted Leia, placing the painting on a chair, "The artist who painted these is a rising star."

"Pray tell his name?" asked Padme, staring at a portrait of (artistically) dismembered humans with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Something Khador," replied Leia, shoving a suitcase into her closet.

"The dear girl doesn't even know his name. It's trash, and that's that," said Bail, walking into his room, "Skollu'na, unpack my things."

Leia sighed, and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Bail was such an uncultured idiot. Despite having been brought up in poverty, Leia had developed amazingly keen senses for art, and had received a degree in Modern Impressionism from Coruscant University. And Bail showed no signs of being a caring husband.

Now, where was she going to place the seven remaining moss paintings?

xxx

Han smoked a cheap wormgrass deathstick, and felt the caustic smoke burn its way into his lungs. Chewie woofed that he was killing himself, and Han threw the deathstick overboard with a sigh. Chewie took his life debt seriously, indeed. Who gave a frell about dying from nic-i-tain addiction? Certainly not Han Solo.

As he lit up a fresh deathstick, Chewie growled that he would have to restrain Han if he chose to go on smoking. Han paused, his spark-lighter in mid air.

And proceeded to light the deathstick.

He heard a loud roar as Chewie lunged at him. He shouted in surprise as Chewie hefted him over a shoulder and started walking towards the ship's stern. He pounded his fists helplessly against Chewie's back.

"Let me down, you fuzzball!"

Chewie barked out some laughter, and claimed that Han would be 'quarantined' from his precious deathsticks for several hours.

"What?!"

By then, Chewie's long, loping strides had brought them to the back of the ship. Chewie dumped him on a bench, and grabbed his box of deathsticks.

"Give 'em back, you walking carpet!"

A threatening growl from Chewie was what he got as a response. Then, Chewie told him to_sit _there on the bench for several hours. If he didn't, Chewie warned, his life debt might be 'reconsidered'.

Han sighed and lay down on the bench. Life, for this day, officially sucked.

xxx

Porcelain dishes that had never been used reflected the ceiling lights from where they sat on the spotless white silk tablecloth. Each seat at the table had at least four sets of cutlery placed on it, indicating the sheer number of courses that were going to be served for dinner. Everything was new and good.

Except for Leia's emotional wellbeing.

She sat there with a surprisingly-real smile on her face, pretending to listen as the Hutt-like human next to her prattled on-and-on about how his wives didn't satisfy him and how suitable she would be to replace one of them. Apparently, telling him she was engaged hadn't helped; she had told him that thrice already, and he mysteriously seemed to develop a hearing impediment at her words.

"Corellian Grass-Seed Pastry with Ithorian Butter, Ma'am?" asked a Ghostling waitress that had started serving appetizers to all those seated at the table.

She thanked the Force when the appetizer was served, and the Hutt-like human _plowed_ into his serving of appetizer. She cringed internally as crumbs of Corellian pastry flew everywhere within a twenty-centimeter radius of his plate. Honestly, didn't he know how to use _cutlery_? She concentrated on wiping off the crumbs that had landed on her sequined dress.

She suddenly felt a strange emotion within her. It made her feel depressed, and trapped within a cage of loneliness. She looked around helplessly for a friendly face.

And found none.

Her mother was laughing (probably falsely) at the jokes a Chiss woman was telling her. Bail was discussing something intently with an anemic-looking Devaronian. Luke was eating his appetizer with rapid jabs of his fork, his attention fully focused on the pastry.

Leia felt nauseous, and rose from her seat. Covering her mouth with her hand, she bolted from the dining room. No one saw the tears in her eyes…

The Ghostling waitress gave Padme a puzzled look upon seeing Leia running off, "Ma'am, did the appetizer disagree with your daughter? Should I call for the doctor?"

xxx

Han lay on the bench, picking at the remains of his dinner. Absent-mindedly, he nibbled on a kroyie leg-bone, gazing at the endless expanse of ocean that the ship was moving on. Water seemed to surround the ship until the distant horizon, in all directions. He was BORED out of his mind.

'_At least Chewie brought me dinner_,' he thought, peering closely at the kroyie leg-bone for any scraps of meat he might have missed. For a bunch of rich people, the folks who cooked on this ship sure knew how to cook.

Just as he was about to toss the inedible remnants of his meal overboard, he heard the poop-deck's access grill open. He quickly hid the trash behind his back. Those damned sailors _loved_ the ocean, and Force help you if they caught you littering…

But it wasn't a sailor.

It was a woman, every bit as beautiful as the ones Han often fantasized about, and more. She was dressed in a glittering dress, which left her shoulders and back uncovered. It took Han a second to realize that he was staring at her. Seemingly not noticing his presence, she dashed past him, sobbing frantically. He grew alarmed when she started to climb the deck railing (albeit rather clumsily).

"Lady, what the frell are you doing?" he asked, in a panic. The last thing he wanted to do was to be witness to a suicide.

Especially with a deck security camera recording everything that happened on the deck.

The mystery lady remained silent, now straddling the railing. Han tried not to let his eyes wander to the high side-slit in her dress. He approached her, slowly.

"Don't jump, it's not worth it. If your boyfriend's been a scumbag, let him go. It's not like…"

"SHUT UP!" shouted the lady, now fully on the outside of the railing. One step in the wrong direction, and she would be swimming with the fishes.

"Look, I don't know what your problem is, but I'm a witness now!" snapped Han, throwing the remains of his meal to the deck, "And there's no way in the Seven Hells of Corellia Han Solo's letting you jump!"

"Like you can stop me!" she scoffed, "Kuck off, stranger."

"It's Han Solo, missie. Such language is unbecoming of a lady."

"Miss Leia to you,_Mr. Solo_. Goodbye."

Han lunged at her just as she took a step off the deck's edge. He caught her left wrist, and held on tight. She looked down, and started to scream. Loudly.

"HELP ME! HELP ME!"

xxx

Near the middle of the ship, out on the deck, four deckhands heard the cries of what sounded like a damsel in distress. They rushed towards the noise, which seemed to come from the stern of the ship.

To them, it sounded like a woman was being raped out on the deck.

xxx

Han pulled her up, but almost lost his grip as she trashed around, trying to get back on the ship. She was like a wild thing, impossible to hold on to, a flurry of movement and glittering fabric.

"Lady, calm down and listen to me!" he shouted, at a loss of what to do, "Stop moving and grab the railings!"

She complied, and soon he was hauling her back on deck. But he was thrown backwards as she tried to lunge onto the deck, and ended up on top of her. Her glittering dress was flipped almost all the way upwards, like a parachute that had opened in the wrong direction.

It was then that the deckhands arrived at the scene.

A moment of tense silence passed before one of the deckhands, a fierce-looking Togorian, yelled, "YOU STAND BACK, AND DON'T TOUCH THAT WOMAN!"

While Han scurried aside, the two human deckhands drew blasters, and the Togorian turned to the fourth deckhand, a cyclopean Abyssin, "Fetch the Master-of-arms!"

xxx

Han glowered at the group of first-class men and women gathered on the poop-deck in front of him. They shot looks of loathing at him, as if he were a spider roach, as though he was filth embodied as a human.

They were looking at him as if he was a rapist!

A tall Aqualish was the master-of-arms, and he had been the one to put Han in stun-cuffs. He (the Aqualish) viciously brought a hand across Han's face, drawing blood as his clawed fingers sraped off some skin. Han winced in pain, but remained silent. Several of the women gathered there gasped at the Master-of-arms' actions.

"Looks like someone tried to _get some_ tonight, eh?" growled the Aqualish, grabbing Han's face and staring at him in the eyes, "There'll be none of that, not on my watch."

"Kuck, a man can't save a damsel in distress?" retorted Han.

"Oh, she was in _distress_? Of remaining a virgin for the rest of her life?" snarled the Aqualish, "You'd keep that filth-trap of yours shut or I'll shut it for you. Permanently."

Leia, who had been watching passively up to this point in time, rushed forward, and grabbed the Aqualish's arm. He turned to look at her, puzzlement clear in all four of his eyes.

"Yes, ma'am? What is the problem?" he said, his gruff Aqualish voice somehow morphing into a baritone voice fit to be that of a butler's.

"He really saved me. I almost fell into the ocean," she said, drawing both gasps and glares from the crowd of first-class passengers assembled, "I was leaning over to look at the…. Um… What do you call them?"

She made a twirling motion with her fingers, and the Togorian deckhand sniggered, "You were tryng to look at the _propellers_?"

"Yes, that's it!" Leia exclaimed, beaming, "If Mr. Solo hadn't been here to catch me, I would have been pureed by the propellings by now."

"Propellers, dear," said Bail, sidling up to her and slipping his hand around her waist.

"Was that the way of it?" asked the Master-of-arms, rattling Han's bones with a cuff to his back.

"Yes. Now can you kucking release me?!" snapped Han, fed-up of being zapped every time his hands moved.

"Manners, fella," chided the Togorian, unlocking the stun-cuffs.

"Sorry 'bout the slap," shrugged the Aqualish, "Just part of my job."

"Can you be a little less enthusiastic at it?" grumbled Han, rubbing his newly-released wrists. He felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to see Bail, with Leia on his left arm.

"Mr. 'Solo', wasn't it? Since you have been so chivalrous in saving Leia, would you join us for dinner tomorrow?"

Han gaped. Him, having dinner with these richie-poofs? Ah Hell.

"Sure thing, Mr. Nice Guy."

"It's Bail."


End file.
